Amateur radio operations on the ISS have had an interesting year. After being unavailable for months, the packet system was able to be partially restored when Suni Williams performed some basic manual reprogramming of the Kenwood D700 back in June. Unfortunately this occurred just prior to an expedition crew exchange and some miscommunication kept the system off an additional two months until some information about the radio got clarified to the new crew. Since early September, packet has been operational on 145.825 simplex and will stay there until a complete reprogramming of the D700 system is performed. A target date for fully restoring the radio has not been set but it is hoped that the access to a computer on orbit and certification of the reprogramming software can be finalized for implementation during Expedition 17. Due to continuing issues related to the radio misconfiguration, full operational capabilities are not available. Basic voice and packet operations are working but the crossband repeater is not available. Future SSTV operations are on hold until issues related to the system and the radio can be resolved or a plan to utilized another configuration of hardware can be implemented.

[img]http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/194029main_complete-1.jpg[/img] Image Above: Astronaut Scott Parazynski, riding on the end of the Orbiter Boom Sensor System, assesses his repair work as the solar array is fully deployed. Image credit: NASA Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock successfully repaired a torn solar array today during STS-120's fourth spacewalk. Shortly after the spacewalk began, Parazynski rode the station's robotic arm up to the damaged area of the array. He was secured in a foot restraint on the end of the Orbiter Boom Sensor System, or OBSS - the extension to the shuttle robot arm used for inspection of the orbiter's thermal protection system.

Astronauts are working outside the International Space Station to repair a torn solar array. Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock began the spacewalk, the mission's fourth, at 6:03 a.m. EDT.

Parazynski rode the station's robotic arm up to the damaged area of the array. He is secured in a foot restraint on the end of the Orbiter Boom Sensor System, or OBSS - the extension to the shuttle robot arm used for inspection of the orbiter's thermal protection system.

Though this will be the first operational use of the OBSS to reach a worksite, the task was demonstrated during a spacewalk on the STS-121 mission in July 2006 to prove the boom could provide a stable environment for this type of work.